Tinker's Bubble, England
A 40 acre (16 hectares) community set in the rural Somerset region, England is the oldest low impact eco village on the island. For more than 21 years, different people and families have called Tinker’s Bubble their home. While some are just passing through, others are permanent settlers. They make a living and some extra cash for the community, mainly through forestry, gardening, growing chickens, honey bees and selling apple products (real apples, not iPhones or iPads). They manage this without using any fossil fuel whatsoever. They do use wood for warmth and cooking, but other than that they are “zero-emission”.

A wind-powered generator and several solar panels provide the community with enough electricity to power some light bulbs, to play music and run some laptop computers. Every type of material they use, comes from the area, which gives Tinker’s Bubble the low-cost eco-housing status. Its name comes from the nearby spring which ends in a small waterfall by the side of the road. Gypsies used to bring their horses to water them there, and they used to call a waterfall, “a bubble”.